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East Sussex Rother Catchment Management Plan Action Plan

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East Sussex Rother Catchment Management Plan Action Plan NRA Southern 8 EAST SUSSEX ROTHER CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN ACTION PLAN NRA National Rivers Authority Southern Region MISSION STATEMENT The NRA’s mission is : "We will protect and improve the water environment by the effective management of water resources and by substantial reductions in pollution. We will aim to provide effective defence for people and property against flooding from rivers and the sea. In discharging our duties we will operate openly and balance the interests of all who benefit from and use rivers, groundwaters, estuaries, and coastal waters. We will be businesslike, efficient and caring towards our employees". Our Aims are to : Achieve a continuing overall improvement in the quality of rivers, estuaries and coastal waters, through the control of pollution. Manage water resources to achieve the right balance between the needs of the environment and those of the abstractors. Provide effective defence for people and property against flooding from rivers and the sea. Provide adequate arrangements for flood forecasting and warning. Maintain, improve and develop fisheries. Develop the amenity and recreation potential of inland and coastal waters and associated lands. Conserve and enhance wildlife, landscape and archaeological features associated with inland and coastal waters of England and Wales. Improve and maintain inland waters and their facilities for use by the public where the NRA is the navigation authority. Ensure that dischargers pay the costs of the consequences of their discharges, and, as far as possible, to recover the costs of environment improvements from those who benefit. Improve public understanding of the water environment and the NRA's work. Improve efficiency in the exercise of the NRA's functions and to provide challenge and opportunity for employees and show concern for their welfare. NRA Copyright waiver This document is intended to be used widely and may be quoted, copied or reproduced in any way, provided that extracts are not quoted out of context and due acknowledgement is given to the National Rivers Authority. © Crown Copyright The plans in this document are based on the Ordnance Survey and are reproduced with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Published August 1995 River Rot her Catchment Management Plan River Rotber Catchment Management Plan Action Plan CONTENTS Page No A. THE NRA VISION FOR THE CATCHMENT 3 B. THE CATCHMENT PLANNING PROCESS 4 C. OVERVIEW OF THE CATCHMENT 5 D. INTERACTION WITH DEVELOPMENT PLANS 6 E. CATCHMENT STATISTICS 7 F. CATCHMENT ISSUES 13 G. MANAGEMENT PROPOSALS National Information Centre 15 The Environment Agency Rio House H. ACTION PROGRAMME W aterside Drive 20 Aztec West BRISTOL BS12 4UD Due for return Environment Agency NATIONAL LIBRARY & INFORMATION SERVICE HEAD OFFICE Rio House, Waterside Drive. Aztec West. Almondsbury. Bristol BS32 4UD ENVIRONMENT AGENCY Page 1 099844 Rzver Rotber Catchment Management Plan A. THE NRA VISION FOR THE EAST _ _ ___________________________________ By the standards of south-east England the catchment is sparsely populated with an average of only 175 persons per sq. kilometre (454 per sq. mile). The main centres of population are the small towns of Battle, Hythe, Tenterden and Rye, but Hastings and Folkestone, just beyond the boundary of the catchment, make demands on its water resources. With the catchment being predominantly rural and much of it prone to flooding before river drainage was improved in the 1970s, the area has great landscape and conservation interest. The uplands in the western half of the catchment are recognised as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and there are extensive Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on Romney Marsh and around Rye. Although not formally designated as such the Brede, Tillingham and Pannel Sewer valleys also merit consideration as designated conservation areas on account of their high wildlife value. The NRA is pledged to protect and sustain the natural environment and will support sensitive measures for its management. The Authority will enforce its groundwater protection policy to prevent aquifer pollution and will be vigilant in the maintenance of river water quality. Close liaison will be maintained with Local Authorities to ensure that unsuitable development does not increase flood risks or cause unacceptable damage to the water environment. Flood defence and land drainage works will be carried out in accordance with MAFF conservation guidelines. The NRA will continue its careful stewardship of water resources. The catchment’s groundwater reserves are sparse and the availability of surface water is limited at times of low rainfall; additional storage would release new resources, but could be developed only after consideration of the environmental impact. The Authority will work with riparian owners and angling organisations to maintain, improve and develop fisheries. Coarse fisheries will be managed scientifically and fish movements will be carefully controlled to prevent the introduction of parasites, diseases or exotic species. The use of native brown trout will be encouraged for stocking river trout fisheries. Where necessary, fish passes will be built to maximise access to the river system by sea trout. NRA Kent Area Manager Page 3 River Rotber Catchment Management Plan B. THE CATCHMENT PLANNING PROCESS Plan Production The Water Act 1989 established the National Rivers Authority (NRA) as the "Guardian of the Water Environment", a non-departmental government organisation with responsibility for regulating and managing water resources, water quality in coastal and inland waters, flood defence, salmon and freshwater fisheries, water recreation and, in some areas, navigation. An additional duty laid on the NRA was to further conservation of the natural environment, seeking opportunities for enhancement wherever possible. NRA Regions are defined by river basins catchments - singly, as in the Thames Region, or as geographical groups of rivers. W ith the exception of sea defence and coastal water pollution control all the NRA's functions are managed w ithin this catchment framework, so the need to resolve conflicts arising from differing functional objectives makes it essential to integrate the NRA’s planning in the same way. Catchment Management Plans relate firstly to the Authority's own operations, including its role as a statutory regulator controlling the actions of others. However, the Plans also offer an opportunity for input from the public to the development of NRA policy and for the Authority itself to draw attention to its aspirations for improving the water environment. The Plans concentrate on topics where the Authority has a direct interest and are focused mainly on the river corridor, although some functions such as water resource management and pollution control inevitably extend over the whole catchment area. Whilst they lack the status of statutory planning documents, it is hoped that Catchment Plans will make a positive input to the Town and Country planning process. Public Consultation The East Sussex Rother Catchment Consultation Report, which was launched in May 1994, was circulated widely to those with an identified interest in the catchment and was the subject of a public meeting in Rye on 23rd June. The Authority is grateful to the twenty organisations and individuals who responded (see Table 1, page 19), their views have contributed to this Action Plan. Plan Review The NRA will be responsible for implementing this Catchment Management Plan in partnership with the organisations identified in the Action Programme. Progress will be monitored and reviewed annually to ensure that the Plan meets current needs and there will normally be major revisions at five yearly intervals. Page 4 Li River Rother Catchment Management Plan ____ C OVERVIEWOFTHEEASTSUSSEXROTHER CATCHMENT_________ - _____ ____ — The River Rother rises near Rotherfield in Hast Sussex, flowing eastwards through the High Weald and onto Romney Marsh. About halfway along its course the character of the river changes from an upland stream to an embanked channel running through marshland, much of which is below high tide level. Scots Float Sluice at Playden is the tidal limit and includes a lock for the passage of small craft. The lower reaches of the freshwater river are embanked to provide storage for freshwater flood flows when Scots Float sluice is tidelocked. Downstream of the sluice, the rivers Tillingham and Brede join the Rother estuary at Rye to form a drying tidal harbour extending some four kilometres to the sea. The area is predominantly rural with mixed, arable and sheep farming, and high-value crops are grown on the rich lands of Romney Marsh. Light industry is found mainly alongside the Rother Estuary between Rye and Rye Harbour. Rivers and reservoirs are the main sources of water for public supply, although the aquifers of the Ashdown Sands provide local supplies and the gravels of Dungeness are an important resource for Folkestone. The Rivers Rother, Brede and Tillingham support runs of sea trout and there are populations of wild brown trout in the tributaries, whilst the larger rivers and marsh drains are noted for their productive coarse fisheries. The catchment has considerable conservation interest, especially in the marshes and along the coast. The Rye Bay and High Weald projects led by East Sussex County Council and encouraged by the NRA, raise the profile of countryside management in the catchment. There is a history of frequent
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